Syria: Politics and Government

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of protestors killed and wounded in Syria.

Alistair Burt: The UN estimates that more than 4,000 people have been killed in Syria since March, including 307 children. It has reported widespread and systematic human rights violations, including murder, torture, illegal detention and rape. Although exact figures are unknown, many reports put the number of the missing and unaccounted for in the thousands.
	We have made clear repeatedly our condemnation of the widespread violations of human rights which President Assad and his regime have been committing for months. We continue to believe that President Assad should step aside and allow the Syrian people to realise their aspirations for greater freedom, dignity and a more open political system.
	We welcome the publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry's report on human rights violations in Syria. We condemn the Syrian Government's unwillingness to cooperate with the Commission. The UK co-sponsored the Human Rights Council resolution mandating the Commission of Inquiry and supported a third Special Session of the Human Rights Council on 2 December, which passed a strong resolution establishing further monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the flow of independent, factual information about the human rights situation in Syria continues.

Aircraft Carriers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the construction of Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of defence-related matters affecting Scotland, including the construction of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. Good progress continues to be made on the carrier project and last month the Secretary of State visited the Babcock site at Rosyth to inspect work which is underway.

Departmental Written Questions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what proportion of questions for written answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the present session of Parliament.

David Mundell: In the present session of Parliament, the Scotland Office answered 182 (94%) of named day parliamentary questions on the due date.

Departmental Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

David Mundell: The following table shows the number of named day PQs that received a substantive answer within five working days of the date specified:
	
		
			 2011 Named day   PQs 
			 June 8 
			 July 14 
			 August — 
			 September 6 
			 October 6 
			 November 7 
			   
			 Total number 41 
			 Total percentage 100 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Economic Growth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent steps he has taken to support the economy of Scotland.

David Mundell: On 17 November, the Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), announced the membership of the new Scottish Business Board to raise issues and help provide solutions on the Scottish economy. This new Board has the expertise and knowledge to make a real difference to the way we tackle the issues facing the Scottish economy and get the most both from and for our companies across Scotland. The Secretary of State for Scotland also led the largest ever trade mission to Brazil at the end of November. This trade mission allowed companies from a wide range of Scottish sectors to showcase their services and establish links in a high-growth market which has become increasingly important to the global economy.

Jobcentre Plus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobcentres in Scotland he has visited on departmental business in the last 12 months.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), has visited the job centre in Edinburgh on departmental business in the last 12 months. The Secretary of State for Scotland has visited the job centre in Galashiels, Scotland as a constituency MP in the last 12 months. In addition, the Secretary of State for Scotland has met with members of the senior management team of JobCentre Plus on departmental business on eight separate occasions in the last 12 months.

Natural Gas: Exploration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) letters and (b) emails he has received in respect of shale gas extraction in Scotland in the last 12 months.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), has not received any letters or emails in respect of shale gas extraction in Scotland in the last 12 months.

Olympic Games 2012

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on the effect on Scotland of the London 2012 Olympics.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on a range of issues including making the most of the opportunities that the London 2012 Olympics will bring to Scotland.

Renewable Energy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had on renewable energy development in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I meet regularly with ministerial colleagues, the Scottish Government and the business community to discuss growth of all sectors of the economy. Last month the Secretary of State and I convened the Scottish Business Board which brought together business leaders from across a range of sectors, including those with an interest in development of renewable energy, to discuss measures to break down barriers to growth.

Departmental Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

Social Justice Committee: Ministers

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many meetings of the Social Justice Committee Ministers in her Department have attended since its establishment.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Automatic Number Plate Recognition

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on the use of automatic number plate recognition at the Dartford crossing.

Michael Penning: The Department received a number of representations on the use of automatic number place recognition (ANPR) during the recently held consultation to raise the charges at the Dartford/Thurrock river crossing. These primarily focused on using ANPR for the delivery of the free-flow project and the ability of ANPR to capture foreign vehicles that use the crossing. The proposals for an ANPR system are currently being considered as part of the design stage for a free-flow charging scheme at the crossing.

Wheels to Work Schemes

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people received support through the wheels to work scheme in each of the last five financial years.

Norman Baker: holding answer 5 December 2011
	As Wheels to Work schemes are local in nature, information on how many people are supported through the schemes is not held centrally. Funding is also provided from a variety of sources, including the Local Sustainable Transport Fund administered by my Department, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Rural Development Programme for England.

Alcoholic Drinks: Sales

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the extension of licences for the sale of alcohol for the tourism and hospitality industry during the London 2012 Olympic games.

John Penrose: The Department has been in discussion with the Home Office about extended licensing hours during the Olympic and Paralympic games. In deciding whether to exercise her powers under section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has to consider matters of security, policing, public order and public safety for these events.

Film

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received on support for the UK animation industry; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Department has received representations on support for the British animation industry from:
	The Deputy Prime Minister;
	Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable);
	Mark Field MP;
	Animation UK;
	Aardman Animations Ltd;
	Hands Up Productions Ltd;
	Q Pootle 5 Ltd; and
	two members of the public.
	We are giving careful and early consideration to the issues raised. In addition, the animation sector is represented on the Creative Industries Council. Creative Industry Council members instigate industry-led approaches to boosting the growth and competitiveness of the creative industries with Government facilitating and removing barriers where appropriate.

Departmental Advisory Services

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contribution his Department has made to the cross-government review of advice funding announced in July 2011.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Minister for Civil Society, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), formally announced the cross-government review of free advice services on 21 November 2011. I can confirm that my Department is working closely with the Cabinet Office to support this work.

General Elections: Crown Dependencies

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Governor of each of the Crown Dependencies will be inviting election observers to observe forthcoming general elections.

Jonathan Djanogly: General elections were held in the Isle of Man in September of this year, and in Jersey in October. Alderney and Sark held general elections in 2010 and Guernsey's general election will take place in April 2012.
	As self-governing Dependencies of the Crown, it is for the government authorities in each jurisdiction to determine whether they wish to invite election observers to observe their general elections.

Offenders: Crimes of Violence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many defendants charged with (a) violent and (b) sexual offences who are (i) on remand awaiting trial, (ii) in the community awaiting trial without conditions and (iii) in the community awaiting trial with conditions.

Crispin Blunt: As at 30 September 2011 there were 2,446 prisoners on remand awaiting trial for violence against the person offences, and 779 on remand awaiting trial for sexual offences. Equivalent figures for the numbers in the community awaiting trial on conditional or unconditional bail are not held centrally, and could be derived only by checking individual level court records; this would incur disproportionate cost.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Personal Injury

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason his Department's round table consultation meeting on personal injury matters scheduled for 1 November 2011 was postponed; and on what date it is to be rescheduled.

Jonathan Djanogly: The roundtable discussion was postponed as the publication of the Government's response to ‘Solving Disputes in the County Courts’ has been delayed. The meeting will be rescheduled for the new year, once the consultation response has been published.

Prisoners: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the number of offenders in prisons in England and Wales diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Offenders are all screened on arrival in prison by a trained nurse or trained officer to find out what their health needs are and get them the right treatment. People at risk of having a mental health problem, or vulnerable to suicide, are referred for a mental health assessment.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how long on average it took the Tribunals Service to administer a First-Tier Tribunal social security and child support appeal in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011;
	(2)  how long on average the Tribunals Service took to administer a First-Tier Tribunal social security and child support appeal in respect of (a) disability living allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credits in 2010; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for 2011;
	(3)  how many disability living allowance appeals were heard by the Tribunals Service from appellants in (a) England, (b) the west midlands and (c) Coventry in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011;
	(4)  what proportion of appeals to the Tribunals Service regarding (a) disability living allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credit were successful in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011.

Jonathan Djanogly: Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to social security and child support are heard by the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support). The data are provided broken down by financial year, which is more readily available for the SSCS tribunal.
	(1) The average time from receipt of an appeal to disposal by the tribunal was (a) 14.3 weeks in 2009-10, (b) 19.5 weeks in 2010-11, and (c) 24 weeks between 1 April 2011 and 31 October (the latest date for which information is available). These figures include cases that were decided by a tribunal hearing and those that were disposed of by other means (such as being withdrawn, superseded or struck out).
	(2) The following table gives the average time taken from receipt of an appeal to disposal by the tribunal in the financial year of 2010-11 and from 1 April 2011 to 31 October (the latest date for which information is available).
	
		
			 Appeal time from receipt to disposal 
			 Weeks 
			  2010-11 1 April to 31 October 2011 
			 Disability living allowance 22.5 28.3 
			 Employment and support allowance 19.4 24 
			 Income support 19.8 25.7 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 12.6 14.1 
			 Tax credits 15.4 17.9 
		
	
	(3) Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service does not hold data specific to the west midlands or Coventry. However, the majority of disability living allowance (DLA) appeals made by people in the west midlands are heard in the hearing venues in Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Stoke, Wolverhampton, Worcester and Kidderminster although these venues also hear appeals from other nearby locations. The majority of DLA appeals made by people in Coventry are heard in the hearing venue in Coventry although this venue also hears appeals from other nearby locations.
	The following table shows the number of DLA appeals disposed of at all hearing venues in England; hearing venues in the west midlands; and the hearing venue in Coventry in the financial years of 2009-10, 2010-11 and from 1 April 2011 to 31 October (the latest date for which information is available). The table also shows the number of DLA appeals disposed of at tribunal hearing in these venues during these time periods.
	
		
			 DLA appeal disposals 
			  2009-10 2010-11 1 April to 31 October 2011 
			 Total DLA appeals disposed of    
			 England 50,900 50,500 38,900 
			 West midlands 4,800 4,800 3,800 
			 Coventry 690 510 450 
			     
			 DLA appeals disposed of at hearing    
			 England 40,900 39,400 31,600 
			 West midlands 4,000 3,700 3,000 
			 Coventry 550 380 340 
		
	
	(4) The following table shows the proportion of appeals regarding (a) disability living allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker’s allowance and (e) tax credit which were successful in the financial years of 2009-10, 2010-11 and from 1 April 2011 to 31 October (the latest date for which information is available).
	
		
			 Successful appeals 
			 Percentage 
			  2009-10 2010-11 1 April to 31 October 2011 
			 Disability living allowance 41 38 39 
			 Employment and support allowance 37 37 38 
		
	
	
		
			 Income support 29 28 27 
			 Jobseeker’s allowance 18 13 15 
			 Tax credits 15 10 10 
		
	
	In response to significant and unforecast increases in appeals to the SSCS Tribunal, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has increased its hearing capacity. Total disposals by the SSCS Tribunal in the period between April and October 2011 were 21% up on the same period in 2010, and 66% higher than in the same seven months in 2009. Disposals have exceeded appeals received in each of the last 10 months.

Treasure Trove: Coroners

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the contribution of Lord McNally of 23 November 2011, Official Report, House of Lords, column 11605, on the Public Bodies Bill [Lords], if he will establish the post of Coroner for Treasure; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Implementation of the Coroner for Treasure is dependent on funding being available for that post. On 17 November 2011 the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), informed interested parties that funding is not currently available for the post. However the matter will be reviewed as part of the implementation of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Trials: Disclosure of Information

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department takes to identify occasions when court hearings take place that are not formally listed; what guidance his Department has issued to courts on listing cases that will not be held in public; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Listing is a judicial responsibility and function. HMCTS provides guidance to the administration on listing however it is a matter for the judiciary how cases are assigned and listed in court which includes those that are held in chambers and not accessible by the public.
	All criminal cases are formally listed and all hearings are recorded at the courthouse through internal systems and databases which collects this information centrally for HMCTS. Daily court lists are published but hearings such as breaches and execution of bench warrants are occasionally at short notice therefore it is not always possible to republish the list.
	In civil and family cases, the only cases that are not published on the court lists are those cases that that are emergency applications which come in at short notice. Such hearings are recorded on the cause list by the court clerk.
	All cases are listed depending on their priority regardless of whether they are to be in public or in private. Published court lists include information relating to both public and private hearings although where there are sensitive cases to be heard in private, the full names of the parties may be withheld in order to protect the vulnerable. This includes adoption and care proceedings involving children.

Departmental Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

Dominic Grieve: Information on the number of named day written questions received by the Attorney-General's Office over the last six months is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 2011 Number of written questions received for answer on a named day Number answered on the named day Proportion on time (%) 
			 July 4 3 75 
			 June 9 9 100 
			 August 0 — — 
			 September 2 2 100 
			 October 5 4 80 
			 November 2 2 100 
			 Total 22 20 91 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 Parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Detention Centres

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding the UK Border Agency has allocated to investment in pre-departure accommodation since May 2010; and at which locations.

Damian Green: Since we ended the detention of children for immigration purposes in removal centres, we have introduced a new approach to enforce the departure of families who have to leave and refuse to do so voluntarily. Cedars pre-departure accommodation at Pease Pottage near Crawley in West Sussex is part of that approach and is only used as a last resort following advice from the independent Family Returns Panel.
	The full cost of the refurbishment of the building and grounds at Cedars to provide the accommodation is approximately £5.2 million which includes all building works, consultancy, furniture and fittings, security and IT.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that genuine students from overseas will be able to continue to study theology at private colleges.

Damian Green: My officials continue to discuss implementation of the student visa rules with theological colleges. The Government have been clear that genuine high quality educational institutions have nothing to fear from our reforms of student visas, which ensure that we can continue to attract the best students whose main motivation is study. No permanent limit has been placed on student visas.

Illegal Immigrants

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested as illegal workers during searches of business premises in each of the last three years; and how many such people were removed from the UK in each region in each year.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency record data relating to offenders arrested on the National Operations Database. From information held we can state that the following numbers of people were arrested for offences related specifically to illegal working visits:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 5,804 
			 2009-10 4,288 
			 2010-11 4,186 
			 Total 14,278 
		
	
	All data are sourced from the National Operations Database (NOD) system. The NOD is a management information tool and data from it is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols. Figures provided from the NOD do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional.
	However to determine which of these individuals arrested have been removed would only be possible by examination of individual records which would exceed the cost threshold.

Immigration: Europe

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures her Department has taken to share criminal records data with other EU member states in order to exclude EEA nationals from entry to the UK under the provisions of Regulation 19 (1B) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 5 December 2011
	Regulation 19(1 B) which came into effect on 1 June 2009 enables the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), to exclude an EEA national, or member of his/her family, where she considers that exclusion is justified on the grounds of public policy, public security or public health. In reaching a decision the Secretary of State is obliged to take a number of factors into account. These include: the decision must be proportionate, it must be based on the personal conduct of the individual concerned and that conduct must represent a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society. The fact that a person may have a previous criminal conviction does not of itself justify an exclusion decision.
	Where the United Kingdom receives information, such as arrest warrants, from foreign law enforcement agencies which indicates that individuals might be present in, or coming to, the United Kingdom and could present a risk to public protection, we will include that information on the watchlists. Where an individual is extradited from the United Kingdom, or is deported as a result of their criminal record, such information may also be recorded on the watchlists.
	The United Kingdom also exchanges data with other EU member states under Council Decision 2005/876/JHA on the exchange of information extracted from the criminal record. This means that where an EU national is subject to criminal proceedings here, the United Kingdom may ask their country of nationality for details of their previous criminal record. Such information may then be used in the criminal justice process.
	When the United Kingdom connects to the new second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) in 2015 we will receive more information about individuals wanted on European arrest warrants and we anticipate stopping more EEA nationals at our borders as a result.

Kidnapping: Children

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of children abducted from the UK since 2006; and how many such abductions were carried out by the child's parents.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
	The Home Office has responsibility for prevention of the criminal offence of child abduction. The Home Office statistics for the number of children reported to police as abducted within England and Wales in each financial year for which statistics are available from 2006 are shown in the table; children are those under 16. Home Office statistics do not show whether or not the abduction was by a parent, nor whether the abducted child was removed from the UK, or not. Some of these offences may have an international element involving a parent and may therefore also appear in the international parental child abduction statistics as follows.
	
		
			 Police recorded offences of child abduction 2006-07 to 2010-11, England and Wales. Each offence relates to one child  . 
			  Number 
			 2006-07 696 
			 2007-08 595 
			 2008-09 567 
			 2009-10 559 
			 2010-11 552 
		
	
	The collection of police recorded statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
	Statistics on international parental child abductions are collected by the number of cases, where a case can involve more than one child; cases under the 1980 Hague convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction relate to children under 16.
	The number of outgoing international parental child abduction cases since 2006 from the UK to countries that have ratified or acceded to the 1980 Hague convention are as follows, by calendar year:
	
		
			 International parental child abduction. Each ease may involve more than one child 
			 Cases 
			  Outgoing from England and Wales Outgoing from Scotland Outgoing from Northern Ireland 
			 2006 153 9 6 
			 2007 183 10 5 
			 2008 181 9 12 
			 2009 193 15 7 
			 2010 158 10 8 
		
	
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has responsibility for international parental child abduction from all parts of the UK to countries that have not ratified or acceded to the 1980 Hague convention or where the convention is not in force between the UK and the country in question. Children are those under 16. The FCO may also provide consular support in outgoing Hague convention country cases. Cases by financial year dealt with by the FCO to Hague convention and non-convention countries between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2011 are shown in the table. Where a case was to a Hague convention country, that case will also appear in the statistics for the relevant part of the UK.
	
		
			 International parental child abduction FCO cases (outgoing from the UK) Each case may involve more than one child  . 
			  Cases 
			 2006-07 265 
			 2007-08 249 
			 2008-09 196 
			 2009-10 238 
			 2010-11 264 
		
	
	The Government have not made an overall estimate of the number of child abductions within the UK or from the UK to countries abroad. Statistics can only cover reported cases.

Carbon Sequestration: Finance

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the decision to reallocate the fund which had been earmarked for the carbon capture and storage competition.

Charles Hendry: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), have discussed financing of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects and £l billion remains available. The detailed profile of spend will be determined by the projects selected and when they require funding.

Climate Change: Africa

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the recently announced aid funding to tackle climate change in Africa is additional to the funding already (a) committed as fast-start funding and (b) announced for climate change by the Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Department for International Development.

Gregory Barker: I will announce the full details of the package of support to help Africa adapt to the impacts of climate change and move to low carbon development paths in Durban on 6 December. The package is funded out of the UK's £2.9 billion International Climate Fund, which was announced in the 2010 spending review.

Climate Change: Africa

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his recent announcement of climate change funding for Africa, from which departments' budget he proposes such funding will be drawn.

Gregory Barker: I will be announcing a package of support to help Africa adapt to the impacts of climate change and move to low carbon development paths in Durban on 6 December. The funding will be drawn from the budgets of the Department for International Development and the Department of Energy and Climate Change through the UK's International Climate Fund.

Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the operation of (a) section 1 and (b) section 2 of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 since July 2010; what representations he has received since that month on the operation of the Act; and what responses he gave to such representations. [R]

Gregory Barker: holding answer 5 December 2011
	The Government announced a review of the definition of fuel poverty at the spending review in October 2010. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), appointed Professor Hills to carry out a review of the current definition of fuel poverty (as set out in section 1 of the Act and under the strategy required in section 2) in March 2011.
	Professor Hills ran a call for evidence on the definition that received views from a variety of stakeholders including Fuel Poverty Advisory Group and the All Party Parliamentary Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency Group.
	Professor Hills published his interim report in October 2011. The final report is due to be presented to Government in early 2012, when we will respond formally.

Departmental Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of food sourced by (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible was procured from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance initiative (PFI) known as the Prime contract. Under the terms of this PFI the Department leases back fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner, Telereal Trillium. This covers a variety of facilities including, where appropriate, the provision of catering services which is delivered through Telereal Trillium's service partner, Compass Group UK. Compass undertakes all catering activity including food procurement.
	Compass has confirmed that between April and November 2011 the percentage of food procured from UK food producers is 24%. With regard to the sourcing from UK producers, Compass’ figures have been determined as follows: they have defined UK as guaranteed UK provenance which can be fully traced back to the source, i.e. food that has been grown and harvested or born, bred and slaughtered in the UK. Therefore, they have not included any products that even though may have been produced or manufactured in the UK, are of mixed origin. In addition Compass has confirmed the following:
	100% of fresh beef is UK sourced
	100% of fresh pork joints is UK sourced
	100% of fresh milk is both UK sourced and Red Tractor
	100% of shell eggs are UK sourced and Lion marked
	All potatoes and root vegetables are sourced from UK when in season.
	(b) Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) that share accommodation with the DWP on Prime contract sites are included in the response at (a) above. For those NDPBs not covered by the Prime contract, none directly source food, e.g. The Pension Advisory Service and the Independent Living Fund (ILF) only occasionally buy food and snacks on an ad hoc basis in small quantities from local food retailers and as such unable to verify the source of food producers. Given the low expenditure, e.g. ILF spent £1,400 in the last calendar year, it would seem disproportionate for local caterers to provide this information to these NDPBs. Remploy has indicated that for their multiple sites their canteens are operated by local third party organisations. The Health and Safety Executive's HQ at Bootle has a similar PFI contract to DWP, covering accommodation and all services. HSE has no direct management responsibility for the caterers and the contract does not specify how supplies should be sourced. The supplier, Baxter Storey, sources their catering supplies from Brake Bros whenever possible; however they cannot assess what proportion of supplies is sourced at home or abroad.

Disadvantaged

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department plans to take together with (a) the Minister for Women and Equalities, (b) the Department for Education, (c) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (d) the Department of Health to tackle social exclusion.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), chairs the Social Justice Cabinet Committee, of which the Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) and the Under-Secretary of State (Public Health), my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), are all members.
	The Committee exists to consider issues relating to poverty, equality and Social Justice, and facilitates cross-Government working and scrutiny of policies for their effects on some of the most disadvantaged groups on society.

Social Justice Committee

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many meetings of the Social Justice Committee he has attended since its establishment.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), is the Chair of the Social Justice Cabinet Committee. It is however longstanding Government practice not to disclose information relating to ministerial meetings, including the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, as to do so would put at risk the public interest in the full and frank discussion of policy by Ministers.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date the integrated assurance and approvals plan for universal credit was presented to the programme board; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Chris Grayling: The integrated assurance and approvals plan was presented to the Universal Credit Programme Board on 21 March 2011. The Programme Board signed-off the plan.
	Government are currently considering how to drive greater transparency in project reporting through their policy on the publication of project and programme data. Key milestones, and other project-related information typically included in an IAAP will form part of those policy considerations. DWP is party to those considerations and will align its reporting of all projects with the transparency policy once it is agreed.

Developing Countries: Malaria

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department allocated to malaria diagnosis through rapid detection tests in each of the last five years; and what funding he has allocated for each of the next five years.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development does not track inputs, allocations and expenditure according to the category requested. The UK's codes are based on the OECD DAC codes which are used for reporting ODA and, as a DAC member, the UK is committed to transparent reporting of development assistance in a way that permits international comparisons.
	Addressing malaria is one of the main priorities of the UK Government. We are committed to helping halve malaria deaths in at least 10 of the worst affected countries by 2015. And we will support action to sustain and expand gains into the future. The UK will invest up to £500 million each year by 2014-15 to support this goal where results can be delivered and value for money demonstrated.

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of child malnutrition in fragile states.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) recently published the paper 'Scaling Up Nutrition: the UK's position paper on undernutrition', which states that, between 2011 and 2015, its nutrition-related programmes (in addition to humanitarian assistance) will reach 20 million children under the age of five, 10 million of whom are in fragile countries. For example, in five states in northern Nigeria, the UK is developing a six-year programme that will reach 6.2 million children through the expansion of services for the community management of acute under-nutrition, providing essential vitamin and minerals supplementation and helping to promote exclusive breastfeeding.
	Tackling acute child under-nutrition remains a strong focus of the UK's humanitarian response. The UK is increasing its support to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to scale up and sustain coverage of its young child feeding, provision of micronutrients and nutrition security in emergencies and protracted crises. In Yemen the UK is delivering humanitarian assistance through a variety of agencies including UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross and a consortium of non-governmental organisations including Oxfam, Save the Children, CARE and Islamic Relief. This is already helping to treat over 80,000 malnourished children under the age of five and screen 1.1 million more. Where possible DFID will use its nutrition programmes to build longer-term capacity to respond to nutrition crises through multi-year funding.

World Bank

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the (a) World Bank's proposed new lending instrument set out in Operational Policy 9.00: Programme for Results heading and (b) proposal to remove application of World Bank social and environmental safeguard policies from financing under that instrument; and whether under that proposal there will be effective and appropriate use of the UK's contribution to the funding of the World Bank.

Andrew Mitchell: I consider Program-for-Results (P4R), the World Bank's proposed results-based lending instrument, as an effective way of modernising the way the World Bank lends to developing countries. The results focus of the new lending instrument will encourage efficiency, sharpen the emphasis on impact and enable the bank to partner with others more effectively. This will help to ensure value for money from the UK's funding to the World Bank.
	The World Bank continues to update the proposal. We take social and environmental risks seriously and will consider these issues in detail when we receive the final proposal.

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to provide (a) low cost housing for sale and (b) affordable rented housing in the next three years.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 5 December 2011
	The Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Homes Programme 2011-15 will deliver 80,000 new homes for Affordable Rent and Affordable Home Ownership with Government funding of just under £1.8 billion. Around 21% of these homes will be for Affordable Home Ownership.
	Overall, with our total investment of £4.5 billion we expect to provide up to 170,000 new affordable homes by 2015, compared to 150,000 originally estimated.

Business

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if there are any regulations governing local authority subsidy of commercial businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Authorities need to act within European Commission regulations on state aid. Other domestic regulations may be relevant such as the ones governing business rates reliefs.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which bodies are eligible to apply for funding from (a) his Department and (b) the Homes and Communities Agency to address the problem of empty homes.

Grant Shapps: £100 million has been made available within the Affordable Homes Programme to tackle long term empty homes. The Homes and Communities Agency issued bidding guidance on 21 November 2011
	www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/ourwork/empty-homes
	which sets out how the funding available will be allocated either through the Homes and Communities Agency (or, from 1 April 2012, for London, the Greater London Authority) or through a national intermediary appointed via the Cabinet Office's Office for Civil Society Framework Agreement. The two funding routes ensure that both Registered Providers of Social Housing and smaller not-for-profit community and voluntary groups are able to apply.
	We have announced £50 million of additional funding to tackle some of the worst concentrations of empty homes. Tackling empty homes in these areas will require an intensive approach—refurbishing and reconfiguring homes, as well as improving the public realm and tackling wider issues in the local area. Further details will be announced shortly.

Empty Property: Worcestershire

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of empty homes in (a) Worcester constituency and (b) Worcestershire.

Bob Neill: Details of the number empty dwellings in the six local authority areas that comprise Worcestershire, as at the beginning of October 2011, are shown in the following table. Data are not available at constituency level.
	
		
			  E  mpty dwellings 
			  Long-term Short-term Total 
			 Bromsgrove 329 671 1,000 
			 Malvern Hills 456 663 1,119 
			 Redditch 268 590 858 
			 Worcester 428 833 1,261 
			 Wychavon 490 832 1,322 
			 Wyre Forest 504 919 1,423 
			 Total 2,475 4,508 6,983 
		
	
	This information was published on 16 November 2011 and is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/counciltaxbase2011
	The data are taken from the Council Tax Base form completed annually in the autumn by all billing authorities in England and returned to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

EU Grants and Loans: Yorkshire and the Humber

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure take-up of the European Regional Development Fund available to Yorkshire and the Humber.

Grant Shapps: The Yorkshire and the Humber European Regional Development Fund Competitiveness programme is worth around £500 million which aims to be fully invested by December 2013 and spent by mid 2015. Over £270 million has already been contracted to over 70 projects supporting innovation, research and development, enterprise, business support and community led regeneration. £100 million more is committed to projects that have not yet been contracted.
	Local partners in the Yorkshire and the Humber area are working hard to make sure this Development Fund investment is taken up. Local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and Universities are being brought together by the local DCLG European Regional Development Fund Team to develop firm proposals to take up the remaining funding and are being encouraged to take advantage of the Fund Technical Assistance funding to help build local capacity to develop and deliver eligible projects.
	Local Enterprise Partnerships have an important role in making sure that European Regional Development Fund is aligned with local investment priorities, to this end we have revised the governance arrangements of the programme to ensure that these partnerships are represented on the Yorkshire and the Humber European Regional Development Fund Local Management Committee—the body responsible for the strategic management of the programme—and that Local Enterprise Partnerships are directly involved in the selection of projects for these funds.
	We are also working closely with other government departments to align European Regional Development Fund with national investment such as the Department of Business Innovation and Skills on UKTI and Business Coaching For Growth programme that will deliver support to businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber.
	We are also exploring how the Growing Places Fund can be used to get local Development Fund projects moving.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my Department's press notice of 1 August 2011, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, which outlines how the European Regional Development Fund has previously been plagued by a legacy of poor administration, and how this Government have overhauled the management of these schemes. As a result of these measures, the European Commission lifted an interruption on the programme which it had ordered. These steps will also protect taxpayers from the prospect of “financial corrections” being levied due to poor administration, as happened under the 2000-06 programme.

Housing: Capital Investment

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the total capital provision for housing made by (a) local authorities and (b) the Homes and Communities Agency since 2007-08. [R]

Andrew Stunell: The following table sets out the total capital provision made available to local authorities for spending on housing for the years since 2007-08. Allocations have been made in consultation with the Homes and Communities Agency, and other agencies of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11  (1) 
			 Arms length management organisations(3) 926 896 930 622 
			 Decent homes supported borrowing(4) 312 272 266 259 
			 Decent homes capital grant(4) 437 347 426 308 
			 Gap funding(3) 79 123 149 131 
			 Major repairs allowance(2) 1248 1240 1250 1273 
			 Local authority new build scheme(3) 0 0 198 126 
			 National affordable homes programme 2029 2612 3641 2594 
			 (1) Most recent whole year for which figures are available. Figures are unaudited. (2 )Allocations made as a component of housing revenue account subsidy administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government (3) Allocations made by former Regional Offices, the Regional Housing Boards, and the Greater London Authority, in agreement with the Department for Communities and Local Government. (4) Allocations made by the Homes and Communities Agency in agreement with the Department for Communities and Local Government 
		
	
	I would note that the last Administration left an unsustainable budget deficit, with the state forecast to borrow £146 billion a year in 2010-11, or £400 million being borrowed every single day. Left unchecked, that public deficit would have forced up interest rates, meaning more expensive mortgages, more repossessions and even fewer first-time buyers.
	This Government are tackling that deficit, whilst putting a series of measures in place to build more affordable homes, to get empty homes back into use, to support the construction and house building industries, and to give a helping hand to first time buyers.

Housing: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to co-ordinate policy on poor housing conditions and fuel poverty.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 5 December 2011
	The Green Deal is an ambitious programme to deliver energy efficiency upgrades at no upfront cost, with repayments made over time from energy savings. This includes a new Energy Company Obligation, worth £1.3 billion per year, providing extra support where it is most needed. Under the Obligation 'Affordable Warmth obligation', we expect energy suppliers to invest around £350 million per year in providing heating and insulation measures for vulnerable households on low incomes at greatest risk of fuel poverty. The Government anticipate that the rest of Energy Company Obligation will support energy efficiency improvements in more difficult and expensive to treat properties through a 'Carbon Reduction obligation'. Department of Energy and Climate Change are consulting specifically on expected models for “roll-out”, to ensure all households stand to benefit, including those in the poorest communities.
	Where a property is dangerously cold, local authorities already have powers, under the Housing Act 2004, to require owners to make improvements. If a property is found to contain serious (category 1) hazards, the local authority has a duty to take the most appropriate action. This could range from trying to deal with the problems informally at first to prohibiting the use of the whole or part of the dwelling and ultimately to prosecution.
	The Government are also investing £2.1 billion to improve the quality of housing through the decent homes programme and large-scale voluntary transfer gap funding. This will be used to help bring over 200,000 homes up to at least the decent homes standard.

Local Government: Pensions

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what economic impact assessment has been carried out on the effect of proposed changes to the Local Government Pension scheme on residents of Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Members for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) and Stoke-on-Trent Central (Tristram Hunt), on 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 23W.

Local Government: Trade Union Officials

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will require local authorities to include the (a) cost of facility time and (b) monetary value of resources provided to trades unions in the list published of items of expenditure over £500.

Bob Neill: The Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency was published in September 2011, will give the public greater insight on how local councils, as employers, organise and structure their work forces. As a minimum, the code requires authorities to publish organisational charts of their staff structures including salary bands. In addition, we have asked for all expenditure of £500 and over to be published on regular and timely basis. This should help reveal the inner workings of local councils and shed light on monies being spent, including on trade union expenditure. Subject to consultation, we are minded to make compliance with the code a legal requirement.
	The Cabinet Office is currently consulting on a policy paper about how facility time can be reformed and reduced in the civil service. When published, my Department will provide guidance for local councils to help inform their own reviews.
	Ministers are open to representations on ways to increase transparency and accountability in this area.

Social Rented Housing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what his policy is on housing associations (a) letting and (b) selling their properties to people living outside the UK in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of housing association properties that have been (a) let and (b) sold to people living outside of the UK in the last year for which figures are available.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 7 November 2011
	Given the discussion of these issues at October's oral questions, 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 601, I have investigated this matter and would like to use this opportunity to provide a comprehensive reply to both the right hon. Member and to the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr Raynsford).
	Numbers of lets and sales
	The following table provides estimates of the number of social properties that were let or sold by private registered providers, the majority of which are housing associations, to people resident outside the United Kingdom immediately prior to taking up this letting or purchase. I have included some historic information to provide context.
	Social housing lettings-to households from outside the UK
	
		
			  Outside UK Outside UK as percentage of total 
			 2002-03 583 0.26 
			 2003-04 586 0.26 
			 2004-05 412 0.19 
			 2005-06 427 0.19 
			 2006-07 290 0.13 
			 2007-08 329 0.15 
			 2008-09 348 0.15 
			 2009-10 463 0.20 
			 2010-11 569 0.22 
		
	
	Sales to households from outside the UK
	
		
			  Outside UK 
			 2005-06 4 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 4 
			 2008-09 8 
			 2009-10 6 
			 2010-11 5 
		
	
	These estimates are from the continuous recording (CORE) logs reported by private registered providers to the Tenant Services Authority.
	Many of the recorded lettings were to UK nationals. Whilst only a small number of sales to those outside the UK were recorded in 2010-11, all of these were to UK nationals and some were to returning armed forces personnel.
	Foreign nationals are only eligible to be allocated social housing by a local authority (including nominations to private registered provider accommodation) if they are covered by the housing eligibility regulations.
	Housing eligibility
	Housing eligibility is as follows:
	European economic area nationals
	Since 2006, European economic area nationals are, broadly speaking, eligible for local authority housing if they are working lawfully, are self-sufficient or have a permanent right of residence (following five years lawful residence). In some circumstances, European economic area nationals may continue to be eligible when unemployed, following a qualifying period of work (e.g. if made involuntarily redundant or unable to work because of accident or illness).
	Nationals of Bulgaria and Romania must be authorised to work by the Home Office (until they have worked in UK continuously for 12 months). They are eligible for social housing if working as authorised.
	European economic area nationals who do not have an EU right to reside because they are not economically active and not self-sufficient are not eligible for social housing. Additionally, those whose only EU right to reside is as a work seeker or the initial three month right to reside derived from the EU Directive on Freedom of Movement of Persons are not eligible.
	Non-European  e conomic  a rea nationals
	Non-European economic area nationals (“third country nationals”) are only eligible for local authority housing if they are a person granted:
	(i) a form of protection leave, ie refugee status or humanitarian protection or discretionary leave, because it would not be safe for them to return to their country (likely to be former asylum seekers); or
	(ii) Indefinite leave to remain (ie settled status, usually granted after working legally in the UK for a number of years).
	Generally third country nationals are not eligible for housing because most are given leave to enter the UK for a limited period on condition that they do not have recourse to public funds. Asylum seekers are not eligible for social housing; if they are destitute they can seek asylum support from the Home Office.
	Where foreign nationals are eligible, they will have their housing needs considered on the same basis as other applicants in accordance with the local authority's allocation scheme. Some lettings are made directly by private registered providers and these would not be covered by the eligibility regulations.
	Sales and lets of open market housing
	The tables above do not include sales of open market properties that were specifically developed by the providers for this purpose and have never been social housing. Housing associations are private, independent bodies, and some develop properties through non-charitable subsidiaries for market sale or rent, without any public subsidy. The proceeds from these sales are then used to cross-subsidise the development and maintenance of affordable properties. As with any commercial transaction, the market housing may be purchased by domestic or overseas buyers. I suspect that most foreign purchases from abroad are typically in order to rent the property, thereby increasing the amount of stock in the private rented sector available to UK residents.
	Further to the discussion at 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 601, the Notting Hill Housing Trust has subsequently written to the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr Raynsford), and sent a copy to me. The trust has a small portfolio of market rent and private sale properties, using the profits from these developments to support more affordable housing. It does not presently market these properties abroad, but it does not discriminate against any buyer on the basis of their nationality, and nor does it believe it should do so.
	Government policy
	As happened under the previous Administration, I believe that there is a public benefit from housing associations undertaking some commercial activities in order to support the provision of more affordable housing.
	Under our social housing reforms, councils will now be able to set their own rules about who qualifies to go on the housing waiting list. At the moment anyone can apply to live in social housing, whether they need to or not. The ‘reasonable preference’ categories for those with the greatest housing needs will be kept, to ensure priority for social housing continues to go to the most vulnerable in society and those who need it most.
	We will also be increasing support for our armed forces. Moving from base-to-base, and residing abroad, can often leave our troops without strong local connections—something many councils reasonably look for when allocating social homes. I have pledged to give councils a duty to put our armed forces who want a home in their area at or near the top of the local waiting list where they are in urgent need. In addition to this move to give additional preference (i.e. high priority) to the armed forces, we will also be consulting on regulations which will make sure that service personnel who have to move from base-to-base do not lose their qualification rights to social housing.

Voluntary Organisations

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to help maintain the local voluntary sector.

Andrew Stunell: My Department is undertaking a number of steps to support the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, including:
	In September 2011, we issued new Best Value guidance: a 'fair deal' which cuts back unnecessary red tape on local authorities, while introducing new requirements for councils to consult with local voluntary organisations on changes to funding and service. It will also give the voluntary sector the opportunity to offer options for reshaping and improving local authority services.
	We are investing £6.5 billion for Supporting People over the spending review period, to provide frontline housing support to disadvantaged and vulnerable people; the majority of these services are provided by the voluntary sector.
	We are providing £20 million of funding for the voluntary sector to help implement “No Second Night Out” rough sleeping strategy. As part of this, Homeless Link will work with other voluntary sector partners to identify and disseminate good practice in helping people off the streets. We are providing £10 million to Crisis in order to support single homeless people, including priority client groups such as recovering drug-users and ex-offenders, to access stable accommodation in the private rented sector.
	On 14 November 2011, we launched the Near Neighbours programme. This is a £5 million scheme to bring together people from diverse communities and different faiths to get to know each other better and help them improve their local neighbourhoods. Faith groups play a vital role in our neighbourhoods. Near Neighbours is an investment in the future, supporting grass roots groups and projects to allow communities to get on transforming their neighbourhoods for the better.
	The Community Right to Buy, being introduced through the Localism Act, will offer new rights for voluntary groups to protect community resources like leisure centres, village halls and libraries. Groups will have the time they need to develop business plans and raise funds. This crucial breathing space will ensure that they are not squeezed out of open market sales of valuable local assets. We have extended funding for the Asset Transfer Unit by £1 million into 2011-12 enabling the unit to continue to offer practical support to communities who want to take on public assets such as youth centres, museums and former town halls for the benefit of local people.
	From September 2011, the new “Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency” requires councils to shine the light on local spending, including details of grants to the voluntary sector, as well as all contracts and tenders over £500. This open data initiative will allow greater public scrutiny of local authority support, and make it easier for the voluntary sector to bid to run contracts and services.
	As part of our Housing Strategy announced on 21 November 2011, we outlined how we will be providing funding for voluntary groups to bid for funds to renovate and improve empty homes and other types of empty property and get them back into productive use.
	The Localism Act also introduces a Community Right to Challenge. Voluntary groups that have a track record of working with their community and delivering results will have the chance to show what they can do to run and improve local services. The new right will put them on the front foot when it comes to taking over a local service and has the potential to open up new funding streams.
	We have cut Whitehall and local red tape to make it easier to organise street parties and similar community events. This was particularly aimed at supporting local events for the Royal Wedding; we hope to continue with this initiative to support the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee.
	My Department's Voluntary and Community Sector Partnership Board is also acting as a forum where the voluntary sector can contribute to the Department's work.
	These reforms are in addition to a whole series of other supportive measures to the local voluntary sector being undertaken by other Government Departments, which include:
	£100 million Transition Fund offering financing for the most vulnerable charities.
	£30 million Transforming Local Infrastructure fund to help modernise organisations that supply critical support to frontline charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises.
	£10 million Investment and Contract Readiness Fund being made available to charities and social enterprises to help them develop the skills and infrastructure to win more capital investment and public service.
	£600 million capital funding through Big Society Capital, which will offer financing to charities and the voluntary sector.
	Simplifying Gift Aid, and encouraging legacy-giving by reducing the rate of inheritance tax for those estates leaving 10% or more to charity.

Departmental Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Leader of the House what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

George Young: I have answered all 13 named day questions on the named day during the last six months.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department’s performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Children: Day Care

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the average cost of childcare in (a) England and (b) each region of England in each of the last five years.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 5 December 2011
	The Department’s annual Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the mean average hourly fees charged by some registered child care providers in England, nationally and by region. The 2009 survey did not collect this data, and the latest available survey is for 2010. The available figures for the five years form 2006 to 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			 Average hourly fees by child care provider and by Government Office Region 
			 £ 
			  Full day care Sessional Childminders 
			  2010 2008 2007 2006 2010 2008 2007 2006 2010 2008 2007 2006 
			 Overall mean average hourly fee 3.70 3.50 3.20 2.70 3.00 2.30 2.30 1.90 3.80 3.60 3.60 3.20 
			              
			 East Midlands (1)3.20 3.60 (2)— 2.70 (1)2.80 (3)— (2)— 1.60 (1)3.20 3.20 (1)5.90 2.90 
			 East 3.60 3.50 (2)— 2.60 3.10 2.30 (2)— 2.00 4.00 3.60 3.40 3.30 
			 London 4.70 4.60 (2)— 2.90 (1)3.60 2.40 (2)— 2.10 4.70 4.30 4.20 3.90 
			 North East (3)— 3.20 (2)— (4)2.60 (3)— (3)— (2)— (4)1.60 (5)3.30 3.20 (4)2.90 (4)3.00 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside (1)3.50 3.00 (2)— (4)— (1)2.80 2.20 (2)— (4)— 3.30 3.20 (4)— (4)— 
			 North West 3.50 3.60 (2)— 2.60 (1)2.50 2.10 (2)— 1.60 (1)3.30 3.00 (1)2.90 2.90 
			 South East 3.80 3.50 (2)— 2.80 3.60 2.60 (2)— 2.20 4.10 3.80 3.80 3.40 
			 South West 3.60 3.30 (2)— 2.80 (1)2.80 2.30 (2)— 1.90 3.70 3.60 (1)3.20 3.10 
			 West Midlands 3.30 2.90 (2)— 2.70 (1)2.60 (3)— (2)— 2.40 (1)3.30 3.00 (1)2.80 2.80 
			 (1) Signifies a cell where data should be treated with caution due to a low base size between 50-100. (2) Regional data on fees for full day care and sessional is not available for 2007. (3) Signifies a cell where data has not been included due to a base of less than 50. (4) Indicates a brace. (5) North East and Yorkshire and Humberside were considered as a single region for Childminders, so these figures represent the combined average for those regions. Note: Data on hourly fees was not collected in 2009 due to the reduced nature of the survey. Source: Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010

Children: Missing Persons

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the children in care and adoption performance tables, November 2011, whether he is satisfied that no children went missing in (a) Knowsley, (b) St Helens, (c) Rochdale, (d) Kirklees, (e) South Gloucestershire, (f) Hartlepool, (g) Redcar and Cleveland, (h) Stockton-on-Tees, (i) city of Kingston upon Hull, (j) Bedford borough, (k) central Bedfordshire, (l) Bournemouth, (m) Durham, (n) East Sussex, (o) Rutland, (p) Reading, (q) Blackpool, (r) Hackney, (s) Manchester, (t) Derby, (u) Leicester, (v) Cambridgeshire, (w) Kent, (x) Lancashire, (y) Nottingham, (z) Lincolnshire and (aa) Oxfordshire between 2008 and 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The adoption and performance tables show a three year average of children absent from their agreed placement for more than 24 hours as a percentage of looked after children. The figures for (a) Knowsley, (b) St Helens, (c) Rochdale, (d) Kirklees, (e)South Gloucestershire, (f) Hartlepool, (g) Redcar and Cleveland, (h) Stockton-on-Tees, (i) city of Kingston upon Hull, (j) Bedford borough, (k) central Bedfordshire, (l)Bournemouth, (m) Durham, (n) East Sussex, (o) Rutland, (p) Reading, and (q)Blackpool are zero. For these local authorities no looked after child is recorded as being absent from their agreed placement in each of the years 2008 to 2010.
	For the local authorities, (r) Hackney, (s) Manchester, (t) Derby, (u) Leicester, (v)Cambridgeshire, (w) Kent, (x) Lancashire, (y) Nottingham, (z) Lincolnshire and (aa)Oxfordshire the three year average is shown as “-”. This symbol in the tables indicates that the percentage of looked after children recorded as being absent from their agreed placement for more than 24 hours for the years 2008 to 2010 is lower than 0.5%. Therefore for these local authorities, there are some children recorded as being absent from their agreed placement for more than 24 hours at some point during the period 2008 to 2010.
	The information published in the Children in Care and Adoption Performance Tables was sourced from the Department's SSDA903 collection. This collection is returned annually by local authorities. Local authorities are responsible for checking their data and, once they are confident that it is accurate, must sign off their data. All local authorities signed off the data for the years in question.
	The data goes through extensive validation to support local authorities in ensuring that their final data is correct. Once this data has been finalised, statisticians perform extensive quality assurance of the data. I can therefore be satisfied that the data shown in these tables is an accurate reflection of situation regarding children absent from their agreed placement for each local authority named in the question.

Departmental Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of food sourced by (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible was procured from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: The information is as follows.
	1. The Department for Education's and its public bodies' caterers are British Farm Assured Accredited for fresh meat and poultry and Marine Stewardship Council accredited for fish. The award of Red Tractor accreditation ensures that all fresh meat and poultry is British produced. The majority offish used within the contracts area also sourced from British waters.
	2. Wherever practical and subject to the cost of the supply bacon used within the catering provision is British sourced.
	3. Subject to seasonal availability, fruit and vegetable products conform to LEAF environmental standards and are sourced from British suppliers.
	4. Specific data is not held. The Department has contractual catering arrangements in place to ensure that food procurement complies with the Government Buying Standards for Food and catering in relation to food purchase and provision.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment has been made of the effect of the pupil premium on the number of children living in poverty up to 2015.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 31 October 2011
	The pupil premium provides additional funding for the most disadvantaged pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, those whose parents are in the armed forces and children who have been in care for more than six months.
	The pupil premium is aimed at narrowing the gap in educational attainment between children from deprived backgrounds and other pupils in a school. It is not intended to impact directly on the number of children living in poverty by 2015 but it is intended to allow schools to provide disadvantaged children with additional support where they need it to help them reach their potential by improving their attainment, aspiration and progression into adulthood. This is a key strand of our approach to improve the life chances of children and prevent them from becoming the next generation of disadvantaged parents.
	Schools will be accountable for narrowing the attainment gap for disadvantaged children. We will reform performance tables to include new measures that show the attainment of pupils who receive the pupil premium compared with their peers. We will also ask schools to report to parents on an annual basis how they have used the pupil premium.

Food: Labelling

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the differences are between the targets put in place by the Food Standards Agency prior to May 2010 and the targets in the responsibility deal in respect of (a) salt reduction, (b) saturated fat reduction and reformulation, (c) front of pack nutrition labelling and traffic light colour coding and (d) information on healthy choices when eating out; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Responsibility Deal has the same salt reduction targets as those developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), with a modification to the average and maximum targets for breakfast, cereals. As a result, the Responsibility Deal targets have the potential to remove more salt from our foods than those set by the FSA.
	The FSA published recommendations for saturated fat for a number of food categories in March 2010. There are currently no Responsibility Deal targets for saturated fat and reformulation. Work on saturated fat will be part of the next phase of the Responsibility Deal.
	The FSA had no targets associated with front of pack labelling or the use of traffic light labelling and there are currently no Responsibility Deal pledges in this area.
	The FSA had no targets associated with information on healthy eating when eating out. The Responsibility Deal has a pledge for businesses to provide calorie information for food and non-alcoholic drinks in out of home settings from 1 September 2011.

Influenza: Vaccination

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of likely take-up rates of the influenza vaccine in each (a) age group, (b) category of at-risk group and (c) geographical area.

Anne Milton: The chief medical officer (CMO) wrote to the national health service on 14 March 2011 setting out the planning assumptions for vaccine uptake for the current flu season. The CMO stated that NHS in England should plan to achieve a vaccine uptake rate of at least 75%, among people aged 65 and over, and to vaccinate at least 60%, of those aged under 60 in clinical risk groups.
	The CMO letter can be viewed at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_125091
	A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.

Maternity Services

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to implement the Maternity Matters policy.

Anne Milton: “Maternity Matters” (April 2007) was the previous administration's policy for maternity choice. In the White Paper, “Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS” (July 2010) we set out our commitment to extend maternity choice through provider networks.
	By focusing on health outcomes and delivering maternity services through provider networks, we will help to make safe, informed choice throughout pregnancy and in childbirth a reality and facilitate movement between the different services to meet women's needs and choices.
	The Department funded the “Birthplace in England” research study, published by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit in November 2011, to compare the outcomes of births planned at home, in different types of midwifery unit and in hospital units with obstetric services.. This study will help national health service in their maternity services, based on what women want and need. It will also help midwives advise women so that they can make the most informed choice about their birth setting.

Mental Illness: Children

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people aged under 18 years diagnosed with a mental disorder for each type of disorder (i) in January 2011 and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: No estimate has been made but information on the prevalence of mental disorders in children and young people has been published by other organisations.
	For example, the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Great Britain, 2004 the Office for National Statistics reported that 9.6%, of five-16 year-olds had a clinically recognisable mental disorder. Of these; 5.8%, had a conduct disorder; 3.7%, had emotional disorders (anxiety and depression), 1.5%, had hyperkinetic (hyperactive) disorders and 0.3%, had eating disorders. Some children had more than one disorder. The same survey showed that among five-ten year-olds 10.2%, of boys and 5.1%, of girls had a clinically recognisable mental disorder. In the older age group, 11-16 year-olds, 12.6%, of boys and 10.3%, of girls had a clinically recognisable mental disorder.

Sex: Health Services

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish his Department's sexual health policy document.

Anne Milton: The Department plans to publish a sexual health policy document in spring 2012. The document will set sexual health in the context of the proposed new commissioning, arrangements and will promote the evidence base for improving sexual health; including behaviour change and links to wider public health issues.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department has received from welfare organisations on the impact of bovine TB on the welfare and well-being of farmers and their families.

James Paice: In 2009 the Farm Crisis Network published a report entitled 'Stress and Loss: A report on the impact of bovine TB on farming families':
	http://www.farmcrisisnetwork.org.uk/tb_support
	DEFRA has since worked with this charity to set up a free business support service for TB-affected farmers.

Sustainable Development

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to tackle the challenges of population growth for sustainable development ahead of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The birth of the 'seven billionth baby' on 31 October served to emphasise the challenges that we face in providing a prosperous, sustainable future for a rapidly growing global population. Natural resources are neither inexhaustible nor free. At Rio+20 (the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development), we must make the case for a greener global economy—showing that growth need not occur at a cost to the environment, that this growth can be inclusive, and that sustainability is the foundation for long-term prosperity. We must also make clear that the major global challenges facing us—for example, food security, environmental degradation, climate change and poverty eradication—are inextricably linked, and that we will not succeed in tackling them piecemeal.
	The UK is pushing for an ambitious outcome at Rio+20—we should agree tangible actions that make a difference. Engagement and preparations are under way; we have submitted initial ideas to the UN ahead of the Conference, and are developing the UK's position and engaging with EU and international partners.

World War II: Medals

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to encourage former members of the Women's Land Army and Timber Corps to apply for the Women's Land Army and Timber Corps badge.

James Paice: Since the launch of the award in 2008 more than 35,000 badges have been issued to former members of the Women's Land Army and Women's Timber Corps (WLA). DEFRA continues to receive a number of requests for badges and where the application meets the criteria, a badge will be awarded. The application form for the WLA badge is available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmmanage/working/wla/

Business: Government Assistance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available for those (a) wishing to start a business and (b) running a business.

Mark Prisk: The information is as follows.
	(a) The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consulted on the effectiveness of business support delivery and what improvements could be made to the Business Link service with representatives from; The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Federation of Small Businesses, Engineering Employers Federation, Confederation of British Industry, Federation of Private Business, British Chambers of Commerce and Institute of Directors, with a group of independent entrepreneurs including members of the Secretary of State's Entrepreneurs Forum, and through the business representative bodies, via workshops in every English region involving business support practitioners, providers (including; enterprise agencies), local authorities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
	(b) Improvements identified included: A preference for advice to business provided by peer networks, professionals and intermediaries such as, accountants and banks; Government funding for targeted face to face advice to be aimed at SMEs with high growth potential; easier access to business information, advice on regulation and Government transactions on the Business Link website and the ability to personalise content; Government not to duplicate private sector provision.
	On 14 November 2011 we launched a new approach to the way people receive the information, advice and guidance they need to start and grow their business. This was developed with experts in the relevant subject matter and tested with prospective SME users. The mentoring web portal was developed in conjunction with British Banking Association.
	Our new approach is based on: digital services which provide high quality information and advice, accessible when businesses need them; and face to face advice provided by business people for business people, not by the public sector. We have:
	Revamped the Business Link website
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	introduced two new online services; a dedicated “My New Business” area developed by experts to provide training, tools and checklists for those looking to start a business; and the new Growth and Improvement Service which will provide new tools to help businesses understand the issues they face, plus a business support and an events finder tool so businesses can find out what is available to them locally. To ensure services are readily accessible and meet a variety of needs, our services include online tools, tutorials and case studies, and will be accessible using mobile technology.
	Established a national helpline to help people find what they need on the web and for those who cannot access the web.
	Encouraged businesses to seek a business mentor to help them develop their business and encouraging mentoring organisations to offer access to their mentors through a mentoring portal,
	www.mentorsme.co.uk
	Almost concluded the procurement of a new Business Coaching for Growth (BCG) Programme to enable small businesses with high growth potential to realise their potential.

Construction: Billing

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effect on sub-contractors of late or non-payment of bills by larger contractors in the construction industry.

Mark Prisk: The impact assessment for the Revision of the Scheme for Construction Contracts (England and Wales) Regulations 1998 Construction Contract (England) Exclusion Order 2011 estimated that commercial disputes between contractors and sub-contractors had an estimated financial cost of £40 million in 2010. The exact proportion of these disputes relating directly to late or non-payment is unknown, as is the proportion of the disputes costs that fall on sub-contractors as opposed to contractors. Amendments to the above legislation were commenced in October aimed at mitigating the cost of such disputes.
	There is also evidence that payments within the construction sector are improving relative to other sectors in the UK. pH Group, a subsidiary of Experian, provide data by industry sector in respect of days beyond term (DBT) payments, i.e. the number of days later than contract terms by which invoices were paid. The latest data show that construction was the only sector where DBT fell over the last quarter (Q3 2011) which is the second consecutive quarterly fall in DBT for the construction sector. The number of days beyond term for the construction sector is now 13.15 days, which is the second lowest (behind only the agricultural sector) out of the 11 sectors reviewed, and well below the UK average of 16.62 days.

Departmental Eggs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the same standards of animal welfare for whole eggs apply to imported liquefied eggs procured by (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible.

Edward Davey: The Departments contracted catering and conference supplier Baxter storey only use pasteurised liquid egg that is bought in the UK and is Lion Brand standard. Baxter Storey do not buy non UK whole egg or liquid egg.
	Information for non departmental bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure that they meet the Government's buying standards for food and catering.

Edward Davey: The central Departments conference and catering is contracted out to Baxter Storey. Since the inception of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI) in 2003 and now the Government Buying Standard, Baxter Storey has operated a policy of full compliance in all its Government contracts.
	Information for non departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Procurement

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what procedures his Department has put in place to ensure value for money on purchases; and what savings have been identified using those procedures in the last year.

Edward Davey: In August 2011, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), announced that the Efficiency and Reform Group’s new measures had saved £3.75 billion over 2010/11.
	This impact was assessed using methodologies in the following table. The assessment has been independently verified by Government auditors who found the benefits assertions to be fairly calculated and presented.
	These savings are borne out in Department accounts. The table on page 79 of the annual report and accounts 2010-11 (HC1001) reports that non-pay gross administration costs for BIS reduced from £187 million in 2009-10 to £140 million in 2010-11. Figures in this report are prepared in accordance with HM Treasury’s Financial Reporting Manual for central Government Departments and associated Treasury resource accounting and budgeting guidance.
	
		
			 Activity and calculation method 
			 Area Activity description Evidence base/calculation 
			 Consulting Government put in place a moratorium on new consulting spend, and extensions to existing contracts. Where spend was considered operationally critical (for example, where it might put at risk critical services) an exception process existed for Department Ministers to sign off expenditure over £20,000. Savings are calculated by subtracting total departmental reported spend on consultancy for 2010/11 from total departmental reported spend on consultancy for 2009/10. To reduce the risk of costs shifting between categories, we also monitored expenditure on other professional services categories, including contingent labour. 
			    
			 Crown Commercial Government have renegotiated deals with some of the largest suppliers to Government. The method of calculation varies according to the initiative that yields the saving, but was based on cash releasing savings against a baseline of what would have otherwise been spent. This was often price savings against the previous price paid. Savings agreed with suppliers are recorded in memoranda of understanding as guaranteed-in-year or conditional-in-year savings. Realised savings were subsequently tracked back to departmental verification of supplier progress reports. 
			    
			 Contingent Labour Government have significantly cut the number of temporary staff. Savings are calculated by subtracting total departmental reported spend on contingent labour for 2010/11 from total departmental reported spend on contingent labour for 2009/10. 
			    
			 Communications Government froze all new marketing spend unless it is an operational necessity. Where spend was proposed, ministerial sign-off was required for £20,000 or above. Calculations compare departmental spend on marketing and advertising through COI for 2010/11 with that for 2009/10. 
			 Centralising Procurement Government has started to centralise spend on common goods and services to drive down prices. These savings derive from the 10 categories of expenditure targeted for centralisation, and relate to price savings through increased aggregation. For each initiative, calculations are performed using individual benefit methodologies that set out how savings will be calculated against a 2009/10 price baseline. Evidence is management information provided by suppliers. 
			    
		
	
	
		
			 ICT We implemented: (a) a moratorium on all new ICT spend above £1 million; and (b) a review of all ongoing ICT commitments. Departments also reported those projects that were closed before undergoing the review. Calculations are based on departmental reports of spend that has not proceeded. Spend that has not gone ahead in 2010/11 is recorded, as a result of stopping or reducing spend. Further, sustainable savings are targeted through the Government ICT strategy. 
			    
			 Major Projects We reviewed the Government’s biggest projects to see where 2010/11 costs could practically be reduced within contractual constraints, or wasteful projects stopped altogether. We have halted or curtailed spend on four projects: 14-19 Reform—£60 million Identity Cards—£50 million Highways Agency Projects—£54 million Whole Farm—£5 million We have redacted £22 million of potential double counting from these figures, that arises between this work and our supplier renegotiation work stream. £14.9 million arises from the Home Office National Identity Cards and £6.7 million from DEFRA Whole Farm. HMT have provided assurance that the relevant amounts were removed from departmental budgets following the Major Projects-related negotiations. 
			    
			 Property We put in place national property controls such that signature of new property leases or lease extensions were approved centrally. It has not always been possible to net off all costs associated with vacating buildings. However, we have also not claimed savings in respect of revenue from property disposals. Calculations are property by property based on the amount Departments have reported saved through the Government’s property database by non-renewal of property leases at lease breaks or upon lease expiry.

Fish: Procurement

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of fish sourced by (a) his Department and (b) those agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible are procured from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources

Edward Davey: The central Department's conference and catering is contracted out to BaxterStorey who are currently sourcing 35% of fish from Marine Stewardship Council-approved sustainable sources.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Department's executive agencies and they will respond to the hon. Member directly. Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Letter from David Williams, dated 5 December 2011
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills regarding what proportion offish sourced by (a) his Department and (b) those agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible are procured from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources. (83910)
	The UK Space Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has procured no fish from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources.
	The UK Space Agency are tenants in Polaris House, Swindon, in which catering services are supplied by the Research Councils UK, who have a catering contract with Baxter Storey. All food procurement is made by the catering contractor.
	Letter from John Alty, dated 5 December 2011
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to your Parliamentary Question tabled for 25 November 2011, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, what proportion of fish sourced by (a) his Department and (b) those agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible are procured from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources.
	The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) does not conduct any food related procurement activities. The IPO has access to a catering contract owned by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), for the provision of hospitality and restaurant facilities for IPO staff. ONS confirm that currently the proportion of fish procured form Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources is zero. Therefore the proportion offish procured from marine Stewardship council approved sustainable sources is zero for the IPO.
	Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 5 December 2011
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills asking the Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) what proportion of fish sourced by (a) his Department and (b) those agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible are procured from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources (83910)
	Please be advised that the Agency does not directly purchase fish. Its caterers are committed to responsible sourcing and all fish products are sourced within UK and international regulatory guidelines.
	Letter from Dr Vanessa Laurence CB, dated 30 November 2011
	As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to reply to your question with the information on what proportion of fish sourced by Ordnance Survey is procured from Marine Stewardship Council {MSC) approved sustainable sources.
	Ordnance Survey's procurement of food is managed by a third party. Their seafood supplier is recognised as a Key Foodservice Supplier by the Marine Stewardship Council offering MSC certified products within their chain of custody framework.
	It is estimated that Ordnance Survey's catering provider is currently sourcing 35% of its fish from MSC approved sustainable sources. This percentage is, I understand, likely to increase soon, as the company responsible for managing Ordnance Survey's catering facilities are currently in the process of achieving ‘company wide’ MSC chain of custody accreditation. In addition, I have been informed that no fish that sit in the red category of the online MSC fish database are served by our supplier.
	Letter from Stephen Speed, dated November 2011
	The Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, what proportion of fish sourced by (a) his Department and (b) those agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible are procured from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources.
	The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has procured no fish from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources.
	The Insolvency Service no longer has canteen facilities.
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 29 November 2011
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 25 November 2011, UIN83910 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Met Office itself does not procure any fish. However, catering is provided by Eurest Services at the Met Office Headquarters in Exeter. Eurest Services does not source any fish products from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) “Fish to Avoid” list. Moreover, I understand the majority of Eurest's fish supply has MSC accreditation and that it is currently reviewing the MSC “Fish to Eat” list against the remainder of its supply.
	I hope this helps.
	Letter from David Evans, dated 29 November 2011
	You tabled the following Parliamentary Question on 25 November 2011:
	“To ask the Secretary of State, Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of fish sourced by (a) his Department and (b) those agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible are procured from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources”.
	Land Registry, who are an Executive Agency within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, do not directly source fish however we do have one staff canteen, for which the contract for catering has been outsourced. Our catering provider sources 100 percent of the fresh fish served from Marine Stewardship Council certified suppliers.
	Letter from Peter Mason, dated 30 November 2011
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 25 November 2011, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of fish sourced for his Department and the Agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible are procured from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources.
	NMO has responsibility for its site in Teddington that also houses the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), a Government Owned Contractor Operated body. We provide restaurant and hospitality facilities for NPL and NMO through a total facilities management contract. We have received verbal assurance from the catering sub-contractor, Baxter-Storey, that 100% of the fish used in delivering the catering and hospitality service are procured from Marine Stewardship Council approved sustainable sources.
	Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 28 November 2011
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 25 November 2011, UIN 83910 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House does not procure seafood directly but our contracted catering provider only procures fish from sustainable sources approved by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 271W, on fossil fuels: export credit guarantees, whether he plans to announce his decision before the Christmas recess.

Edward Davey: No firm date has been fixed.

New Businesses: Capital Investment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage private sector investment in high-risk start-up businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Government recognise that high risk, innovative start-ups have the potential for high growth and job creation.
	Government support tax incentives including the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) to encourage private investment in start-up firms. The March 2011 Budget announced changes to the rules and capacity relating to EIS and VCTs to simplify and increase the incentive for investors to use these schemes.
	The Autumn Statement went even further in the targeting of relief toward start-up firms. The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) which will be introduced from April 2012 aims to encourage investment into new early stage companies by providing a higher rate of income tax relief of 50% (compared to the normal EIS rate of 30%) for individuals who invest in qualifying seed companies. To kick start the scheme the Government are offering a capital gains tax exemption on any gains realised in the year 2012-13 that are invested through SEIS in the same year.
	Government continue to support the early stage market by leveraging in private investment through Enterprise Capital Funds (ECFs). ECFs invest £250,000 to £2 million in small, early stage businesses. 10 funds with a total of £250 million to invest have been established and a further £200 million committed to leverage an additional £100 million of private sector funding.
	Government are also supporting the development of a new £50 million Business Angel Co-investment Fund as part of a successful bid to the Regional Growth Fund. The fund will be available to invest, alongside Business Angel networks or syndicates, into eligible start-ups and is due to launch by the end of the year.

Private Sector: Employment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance is offered to former public sector workers to help them find work in the private sector.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	The primary responsibility for supporting public sector workers made redundant rests with the public sector employer, supported by Jobcentre Plus as appropriate. Employers have a variety of support in place ranging from internal redeployment managers to externally contracted outplacement services. A cross Government career transitions service is also being piloted in London which provides redeployment assistance both inside and beyond the public sector.
	Everybody who loses their job as a result of workforce management measures—including former public sector workers—is able to access support from the Jobcentre Plus led Rapid Response Service both during their redundancy notice period and, for those who require it, up to 13-weeks after their last day of work.
	Those individuals who go on to make a claim to benefit will enter a personalised system of support within Jobcentre Plus that allows more flexibility to Jobcentre Plus. This framework allows advisers greater discretion to draw down from a flexible menu of support options that is tailored to the needs of both the individual and the local labour market.
	In addition, Jobcentre Plus advisers will signpost claimants to appropriate specialised agencies which can help claimants with particular skills or professional capabilities to find relevant suitable work quickly. Jobcentre Plus advisers will also, as appropriate, signpost people to opportunities for starting up their own business through measures like enterprise clubs and/or the new enterprise allowance.

Regional Growth Fund

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much successful bidders to the Regional Growth Fund have paid for the due diligence process to date; and what estimate his Department has made of the total amount that will be paid by successful bidders to complete the due diligence process.

Mark Prisk: 19 projects totalling £112 million, following the completion of due diligence, have signed final contracts and are set to deliver 924 new or safeguarding jobs and nearly 29,000 jobs in the supply chain. We expect that all projects allocated conditional allocations will complete due diligence and will start to receive their share of the £1.4 billion in the spring. The guidance as always been clear that the cost of due diligence should be met by the applicant and that due diligence costs will vary due to commercial circumstances.

Unemployment

Pat Glass: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecast for unemployment in 2012.

Danny Alexander: In line with a weaker outlook for GDP growth, the OBR has revised up the projected level of unemployment over the near term.
	The Government are taking steps to support private sector job creation and reduce unemployment:
	Reducing red tape and facilitating SMEs access to finance through credit easing, helping businesses to grow and take on new workers;
	Implementing reforms to help people find work including specific support for young people through the Youth Contract.

Building Societies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to ensure the interests of all building societies are taken into account in his Department's financial strategy.

Mark Hoban: Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Building Societies Association and individual building societies to discuss a range of policy issues.
	The Government have been working with building societies to ensure a positive outcome in European discussions on the Capital Requirements Regulation.
	Building societies have been consulted on the draft Financial Services Bill, which requires the new regulatory authorities to publish an analysis of how draft rules may affect mutual and non-mutual firms differently, and makes minor amendments to the Building Societies Act.
	Building societies will be consulted on any legislation introduced to implement the findings of the Independent Banking Commission report. The Government will announce its response to the report by the end of this year.

Taxation: North West

Hazel Blears: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Salford and Eccles constituency and (b) the North West who are subject to the (i) higher and (ii) additional rate of income tax.

David Gauke: An estimated 3.74 million taxpayers are liable to income tax at the 40% higher rate and 308 thousand taxpayers are liable to income tax at the 50% additional rate in the United Kingdom in 2011-12.
	In the north west, 318 thousand taxpayers are liable to income tax at the 40 per cent higher rate and 18 thousand taxpayers are liable to income tax at the 50% additional rate in the 2011-12
	These and estimates for other UK Government Office Regions are published on the HMRC website in tables 2.1 and 2.2 which are available at the following addresses:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-1.pdf
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-2.pdf
	Reliable estimates for taxpayer marginal rates are not available at the parliamentary constituency level, due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas and small sample sizes.
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
	Estimates of income and tax by parliamentary constituency for 2007-08 and preceding years are available in table 3.1 5:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm